Monticello schools prepare students for a life of health and wellness

Wednesday

Mar 20, 2013 at 2:00 AM

MONTICELLO — As part of a districtwide initiative to provide healthier snack and food options for students, Monticello School District wellness committee members Amy Garrett and Jane Sorensen have started the Sugar Shocker program.

MONTICELLO — As part of a districtwide initiative to provide healthier snack and food options for students, Monticello School District wellness committee members Amy Garrett and Jane Sorensen have started the Sugar Shocker program.

Beginning with George L. Cooke Elementary School, the duo created an interactive bulletin board designed to reveal how much sugar is in the foods we eat. Complete with the grams to teaspoons conversion formula (4 grams equals 1 teaspoon) and packages from actual sugary snacks, students can figure out how much sugar they are actually eating by spooning sugar into a cup.

Combining this type of raised awareness with programs that teach nutrition and wellness, students can make the connection among what they eat, how they feel and how well they perform in school, agree school officials and teachers.

"When children eat better, they feel better and ultimately, learn better," said Amy Garrett, who is the art teacher at Cooke. "Teaching students about proper nutrition is an important part of helping our students grow up to be healthy adults."

Since some students are not willing to try healthier snacks and menu selections — and those items end up going from tray to garbage without a single bite being taken — Monticello's school lunch manager, Andrew Yeomans, allows students a free taste-test to overcome their fear of items such as creamed spinach, pork-free bacon and pickled beets.

So how do they get children to eat and enjoy school meals? According to Yeomans, the answer is simple: Remove the institutionalized foods and flavors from the kitchen, and make more meals from scratch with healthy ingredients using locally grown, farm-fresh foods whenever possible.